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Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School: SEAG score and admissions criteria

Newry · Catholic boys' voluntary grammar · September 2026 entry

This page shows exactly how Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School used SEAG results to allocate Year 8 places,
taken from the school’s own published admissions criteria. It is one of the
63 school evidence cards in our SEAG admissions guide.

Allocation pattern

Band priority

SEAG scores are grouped into bands. Every child in Band 1 is considered before any child in Band 2, and so on. Within an oversubscribed band, published tie-break criteria — not the score — decide who gets a place.

How places were allocated for September 2026

  1. 125 places. Boys are admitted by SEAG Band: all Band 1 before any Band 2, and so on through the Bands until places are filled.
  2. Within an oversubscribed Band the order is: a parent on the school’s permanent staff → a brother currently attending or selected for the school → a brother who previously attended → the eldest boy of the family transferring to secondary → the first boy of the family to apply to an academically-selective school → entitlement to Free School Meals.
  3. Any remaining tie is settled by a computer-based process using applicants’ names.
Band comes first — the exact score within a Band is not used. Within a Band, staff, sibling and eldest-boy criteria decide before Free School Meals and the name tie-break. Check the definitions before assuming one applies.

Recent admissions history

Entry year Places Applications (all prefs) Admitted
2023/24 125 139 135*
2024/25 125 141 135*
2025/26 125 165 128*

*Includes SEN pupils and those admitted on appeal, as stated by the school.

Worth asking at the open day

Which Band did the last admitted boy come from last year? · How often is the Free School Meals criterion reached?

Source — School-published · September 2026 entry · Verified 9 July 2026

Admissions Criteria 2026-2027 (PDF) →  ·  School website →

These figures describe past cycles. Always read the school’s current published
criteria in full before listing it — criteria can change year to year.

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